“Yaoyao, you are my only sister. As for Song Yue, what right does she have to live in Yuehua Pavilion?” Song Hengchuan said, “Yaoyao, you should go back first. I know what I’m doing!”

"But……"

"Alright, that's enough. Let's go back now." Song Hengchuan already had a plan in mind.

Seeing that things were going well, Song Yao said before leaving, "Brother, please take care of yourself. It's nothing for my mother and me to suffer a little."

The more she said that, the more Song Hengchuan disliked Song Yue.

Before they came back, the family was living in harmony and everything was fine.

It's all Song Yue's fault!

"Achoo!" Song Yue rubbed her nose and sneezed. She shrugged, unconcerned. With Ling Yi guarding Yu Han Courtyard, she felt at ease.

After several days of turmoil, I can finally take a break.

"Someone come here!"

The maid pushed open the door and entered. One of the maids had a round face and a cheerful appearance, while the other was very timid and kept backing away when she looked at her.

Song Yue knew the round-faced maid named Yun Dong. In her past life, Yun Dong had always followed her and protected her. Unfortunately, she met a bad end and was falsely accused of stealing and beaten to death.

“Miss.” Yun Dong stepped forward.

"Prepare water, I want to take a bath," she said.

Yun Dong nodded.

Soon, hot water for a bath was prepared next door, and she soaked in the hot water, which relieved a lot of her fatigue.

She suddenly heard a soft sob behind her. She frowned and saw that Yun Dong's eyes were red.

"Why are you crying?" she asked, amused.

Yun Dong boldly said, "Miss must have suffered a lot in the other courtyard. The scars on her body are all old wounds, and her hands are covered with calluses and frostbite, even rougher than the hands of the rough maids in the laundry room."

Song Yue looked down and saw that it was true.

Apart from her face, which was somewhat recognizable, her hair was dry and yellow, and her body was covered with whip marks and pinch marks, layer upon layer of blue and purple. Her hands were also a truly pitiful sight.

“Girl, those hardships are over now, and you will enjoy happiness from now on,” Yun Dong comforted her.

Enjoying life?

Song Yue smiled. She didn't expect to enjoy happiness. As long as she could send her enemies to hell one by one, she would have no regrets even if she died!

Song Yue slept soundly that night.

In her dream, she also saw an extremely beautiful woman who spoke to her tenderly and affectionately, saying, "Yue'er."

Some people have sweet dreams, while others spend a sleepless night.

She woke up before dawn the next day.

"Miss, it's time to pay your respects to the Grand Madam," Yun Dong reminded her.

The Jingguo Duke's Mansion prides itself on being a prominent family and places great importance on rules. The younger generation must pay their respects to the Grand Madam every day, and sometimes the Grand Madam will even stay for breakfast.

In her past life, the matriarch disliked her for being shameful and stupid, so she exempted her from paying her respects.

I only see her once a month.

That is, after she returned from paying her respects to the Emperor of Northern Chu, the Grand Madam would summon her and ask her in detail what had been asked in the palace and how she had responded.

They would even ask the Northern Chu Emperor if he smiled and what his expression was.

They will release her after they have finished questioning her.

Song Yue stood up, glanced at the empty storage box and wardrobe, and sneered. They hadn't prepared anything for her; they must have known she wouldn't need it.

They've stopped even bothering with the superficial formalities.

Since the Duke of Jingguo's mansion is shameless, why should she protect it?

Wearing yesterday's plain clothes, Yun Dong skillfully tied up her hair in two buns. There was nothing in her hair. Yun Dong's eyes reddened with heartache: "Miss and Second Miss are about the same age, but Miss doesn't even have a decent dress or jewelry."

The second daughter's jewelry could last for a month without changing, and her clothes were always the newest styles in the capital, including brocade and Suzhou embroidery.

Song Yue disagreed: "Let's go and pay our respects to Grandmother."

When she arrived, Ning'an Hall was already quite full.

Before she entered, there was laughter and chatter, but the moment she appeared, the atmosphere plummeted. All eyes turned to her, filled with disdain, mockery, fear, and resentment…

Song Yue walked in and curtsied to the Grand Madam, saying, "Greetings to Grandmother."

The old lady's gaze fell on Song Yue, her brows furrowed, her delicate features still visible on her sallow and thin face, though she looked like a beggar from head to toe.

Yuan Fuling's eyelids twitched, and she quickly said, "Mother, yesterday was too rushed. Your daughter-in-law has already prepared clothes and jewelry for Yue'er, and will send them to Yuhan Courtyard later."

The old lady kept a sullen face and didn't say anything. Clothes were fine, since there were no sizes available, but jewelry didn't care about size, and Song Yue didn't have any.

"I remember that the Second Miss just had some new clothes made a few days ago. Bring them over for the Third Miss to change into first," the Grand Madam said.

Song Yue winked at the Grand Madam: "Thank you, Grandmother."

Looking at Song Yue's thin and frail body, the Grand Madam couldn't help but feel a pang of pity and sighed helplessly.

Song Yue followed the maid to the side room to change her clothes, completely ignoring Song Yao's murderous expression, and walked away humming a cheerful tune.

Only after seeing the clothes did Song Yue understand why Song Yao was gritting her teeth.

There are three sets of clothes in total: light white, pale yellow, and crimson. All of them are made of Shu embroidery, and they are incredibly exquisite to the touch.

"Poor second young lady waited for months to get these clothes, while third young lady is so lucky," the old woman muttered regretfully.

Song Yue recognized her; this person was Madam Wang, who served the Grand Madam. She was cunning and loved to take advantage of others, but in reality, she had long been bribed by Yuan Fuling.

That's why I felt indignant on Song Yao's behalf.

There wasn't much of a grudge between him and Wang's mother; just a dozen or so slaps.

"Tsk tsk, it's no use forcibly taking what isn't yours." Mrs. Wang said with a hint of schadenfreude.

Song Yue looked down at her obviously loose clothes, her shoulders slumped, the hem of her skirt falling to the ground, and her waist was a fist's width wider.

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